Hello everyone! We are still here! Oh how I wish we were flying home Saturday morning as originally planned. I miss my 4 kiddos at home so much I can't stand it! And I really want some American food and an American bed and some American rights!! We took so much for granted before this trip.. I loved the U.S but now not only do I love it but I so appreciate it. I so appreciate how we can walk in the crosswalk and not get run over by cars and scooters. I love how we keep one lane for one lane of cars and we are not allowed to make it into 3 lanes. I love how we stop at red lights. I love how when a federal office posts its hours as being 8-5 they are open 8-5, even if it was cold that day or aunt Martha was in town. Someone will show up. On a brighter note, The Lord continues to put the most amazing people in our path to help us along with this journey. Yesterday we found out that there is a couple here from Arizona adopting a 4 yr old little girl. We found them in the playroom at our very same hotel. Well...... not only are they form Az, they are from the same city as us!!! And as if that was not enough... they go to our church!!!! We met once about a year ago and then never saw each other again because our families attend different services. They are the kindest couple, here with their oldest daughter 14, adopted from China and bringing home their newest addition very soon. They were have been so kind to us and we look forward to seeing them in Guangzhou tomorrow. Then today we got brave and totally risked our lives (Not Kidding) and took a Taxi to the very interesting Walmart to get some more diapers and baby supplies. When we were ready to head back we could not get a taxi. They just kept zooming past us! was freezing outside as it has been since we have been here in Changsha, and the baby was asleep in the bjorn (Daddy was wearing her). Then this amazing man walks up to us and in very limited English asks if we need some help. He looked like he was about 40 and was dressed very professionally. We told him no worries we just needed a taxi. This nice man tried for 20 minutes to get us a cab. Then he walked us a few blocks to try again for 15 minutes with no luck. Finally we walked another block or 2 and he tried for about 10 minutes and got one!!! We went to thank him and he said oh no I'm not done. He got in the front seat and got us to the hotel, then he paid the taxi driver!!!!!! He refused over and over to let us pay him back. We took a photo with him and off he went. Now if that's not God taking care of his peeps I don't know what is. Our guide Amy said she could not even believe that story and was amazed.
The latest about our timeline~ We finalized all of the paperwork today, after 3 days of the CCAA promising to fax over the form to the Civil Affairs...... today they finally did it!!! Praise God. But now, since they took until FRIDAY, it sets us back a whole week. We are told we will not have our passport for Baby Lexi until next Friday. You can not keep your consulate appointment to get a visa if you do not have a passport. So the US consulate is threatening to cancel our appointment for the 18th. This would keep us here a month by the time we got home!!! So we are praying that God would once again move mountains and soften the hearts of the US Consulate to allow us to keep our appointment to get Baby L's Visa if we could give them a passport number and show them the passport on Friday when it arrives. Prayers mucho mucho please!!!
As for Baby Lexi..... Oh my word! She is such a Hunny! She is getting more and more snuggly by the minute. She is soooo happy all of the time. She is really starting to attach. She is putting her arms up to me when I ask her to come to mommy. She laughed for us today. She loves to be tickled, she had cereal for the first time yesterday and loved it, she loves loves loves puffs. She rolled over today from her tummy to her back and she is getting more upper body strength with each day. She still looks like she is doing the hoola hoop when we make her practice her standing but she loves it and is getting stronger and stronger. She is picking up her puffs on her own now but she still does not know to put it in her mouth so she will just hold it all day and have mommy and daddy put them in her mouth. We continue to work on that one. Up until now she had never been spoon fed nor given any kind of finger foods or solid foods. She has a cold, a very runny nose but remains happy as can be. She does not like to have her nose cleaned. She has been having night terrors last night and already tonight while I am posting. I just pick her up and start talking or singing to her until she calms down and then she goes back down. She never even opens her eyes but she goes right into this hard terrible cry and crocodile tears in a matter of a second. She likes her bath now and she is drinking more during feeding time. She has the longest fingers but the tiniest hands and feet. She sucks her index finger when she is ready to go to sleep and when she is unsure or afraid of something. She wants to go home to America to meet her sisters and brother and Grandma and aunties and cousins. She is amazing!
These eyes
These eyes
My girl
Funny girl
Empty spoon
Eating my first cereal
My first breadstick
God's timing is always perfect. Thank you for sharing your journey and your faith. I understand wanting to be home NOW. Our first Chinese adoption was postcard perfect. I was walking in the clouds. Our second adoption a year and a half later was the total opposite. Our little one was near death with starvation. I wanted my mama, my American formula, and my American doctor. They nearly denied her visa. Four years later she's postcard perfect, too, and such a joy in our lives. There was much I didn't understand at the time, but it's all clear now. I grew a lot during that time. Your little one is so beautiful! She will be such a blessing to you always. It's easy to see that from where I sit. God Bless you and Godspeed home!
ReplyDelete-Carmen
sorry to hear about all your trials but it sounds like little angels are helping you get through it.
ReplyDeleteLexi is just too sweet, thank you for sharing your journey.
Hope you are home soon,
Cora
It is amazing how God works in his own time! Sorry you had to go through so much while in China to get your Lexi.
ReplyDeleteShe is just so beautiful. What SWI is she from? Are you at The Dalton in Changsa? That is were we will be when we pick up Yi Wei from Zhuzhou. You will have to fill me in on what to expect adn do while we are there.
Hugs,
Jody
She is such a little Hunny, indeed!! Love her sweet, kissable cheekers! ;) I just want to snuggle her right up! Praying that her cold subsides and that she is feeling better soon...and praying that those night terrors go away, too. Poor girl. It breaks my heart to think of what is frightening her and causing her to cry those big tears...but to know that you are there comforting her is priceless, and that will help her heart to heal, too!
ReplyDeleteAnd what a neat story abouat that man who helped you get your taxi, spending all of that time with you, and then riding along to pay for it as well. An angel, maybe. But brought to you by God for sure! I am praying that God blesses him for his selfless, kind act today!
Have safe travels and enjoy Guangzhou...we are praying for favor so that you can stay on schedule and come home soon!!
Blessings and Hugs,
~ Tanya